A fewmonthslater,duringtheweekendthatmyfriendAngelandIwenttoseethe TourdeFrancethroughthePyrenees,I couldseethat it was verypopulartheuseofsuchbags with theFrenchwhofollowedthe race.

When I returnedtoValenciaIgot toworkand I started to researchonthistypeof “saddlebag”andI realizedthat it wasanewwayoftravelingwiththe road bikeandlightofluggage.

The firstthingwas to find outwhich manufacturerhad them onitscatalogandI foundthreeinterestingoptions:

The first bag is manufactured by Apidura. It is a light and high quality bag. It also has two bike light attachment points for enhanced visibility.

Then I found another one distributed by KTM. It is a more simple bag but depending on the use it can be a good choice.

The third bag I found was the Ortlieb Seat-Pack 16´5L. Good saddlebags and good brand.

KTM´s is the cheapest one, the other two are more than €100 value. As I said before depending on the use it can be more than enough. In my case I had no choice. I just could find this one in Valencia in mid-August.

Placing it on the bikeisquickandeasy.Frommy own experienceI recommend to set thebagon the roadbike firstly.Onceplaced it onthebicyclewe will putalltheluggageandthen we will adjustit. You should be careful when standing up on the bike while climbing sincetheswinging canbestrange.

Although it is only18litresofcapacity,thatit couldseemscarce, it is morethanenough for travelinginsummer in the East and South coast of Spain as long as you do not need stuff to sleep and cook.

This is the list of things I brought with me for my 5 days travel in my KTM 18L bag:

With me:

1 cycling shorts

1 jersey

1 pair of socks

Helmet

Cycling shoes

Sunglasses

Inside the bag:

1 cycling shorts

1 jersey

1 pair of socks

2 underpants

2 light T-shirts

1 light bermuda shorts

1 swimsuit

1 microfibre towel

1 toothbrush

1 hair brush

Gel

Battery charger

Garmin 800 GPS

2 tubes

2 compressed air bottles

1 chain tool 11v

1 tools set

Insulation tape

Self-adhesive patches

Camelbak

In the next post I will tell you aboutanecdotes,advantagesandinconvenientsthatIfoundwiththiskind of “cyclinglight”. Anyquestionsthatyou may have please do nothesitate to askus. I would lovesharingourexperiencewith you. Here you can watch ahighlyvisualvideowithmorepossibilities: